Everything you need to know about asynchronous communication in remote work environments
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What is asynchronous communication? How is it different from synchronous communication? In this quick guide, you'll learn how to effectively use both for remote work:
Do you want to improve your remote team's productivity and communication?
Great communication is the secret to keeping employees working far away from each other working together.
An effective solution for higher productivity and better communication is the combination of asynchronous and synchronous communication.
But what is asynchronous communication? And how does it differ from synchronous communication?
You'll find out in today's quick guide.
We explore the question of what makes both forms of communication unique and important. Then we compare the pros and cons of the two and give our best tips on how you can use both methods to your advantage.
So let's start with the basics:
What is asynchronous communication and synchronous communication?
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Despite the lengthy terminology, you're probably familiar with how these two communication styles work, even if you don't know their official names.
Synchronous communication is the most commonly used form of communication in the business world .
Here, employees are expected to stay in touch with their colleagues and management throughout the working day. They are also expected to respond to messages immediately, no matter what they are doing.
You can easily imagine this in a traditional office environment. A colleague can stop by your desk at any time and ask a question. Or a manager can call someone into their office to inquire about a current project.
In a remote environment, this is the equivalent of sending a Slack or Skype message to a team member and expecting to receive a response within a few minutes (if not seconds).
The goal is the same: to get an immediate response as soon as you reach out.
Asynchronous communication is the opposite of synchronous communication: employees are not expected to respond to messages immediately .
Asynchronous communication allows remote workers to respond when it's best for them. You're not pressed for time and you don't have to worry about keeping someone waiting for a response.
As you might imagine, there are both advantages and disadvantages to using both methods in your virtual team.
The pros and cons of asynchronous versus synchronous communication for remote workers
Before switching to a purely asynchronous communication style, you should be aware of the disadvantages of both variants.
Asynchronous communication improves concentration and productivity
With asynchronous communication, remote workers have a better chance of staying productive and focused. Instead of constantly checking and responding to messages, they can switch off during long periods of concentrated work.
This increase in productivity means you get a better quality of work. A team with fewer distractions and higher mental performance increases your efficiency, meets deadlines and minimizes errors.
Synchronous communication takes a toll on this productivity, especially if you constantly need to respond to messages during your team's work hours.
Synchronous communication creates unnecessary stress
Synchronous communication can cause unnecessary stress and anxiety if employees have to check in repeatedly to make sure they don't miss anything.
Instead of focusing on work, they must strive to respond to messages in a timely manner (no matter what time of day).
This creates another problem: When remote workers use a synchronous communication style, they are always in a reactive state. You don't have time to think through problems and formulate answers well.
Team members may jostle for a response so it doesn't look like they missed the message or took too long to respond.
But what if you have an urgent message or a time-sensitive appointment that requires immediate attention?
There is a time and a place for both; here's how to do it right
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In remote work environments, it is better to use a combination of synchronous and asynchronous communication. Follow these five best practices to understand when to use each type of communication:
1. Set up designated communication times
The best way to ensure constant communication between you and your team is to set your expectations and work together.
For asynchronous communication times :
Ask your remote team members to set a time to contact you to get an update on the project. This could be several times a week, every day at a certain time, etc.
Your remote team member should set this time so that they can adequately prepare a coherent and informative response. They can also schedule communication so that it doesn't conflict with one of their focused time slots.
This way you know that everything is going according to plan without having to constantly ask.
For synchronous communication times :
You set the communication window. Once you set aside this time on a daily or weekly basis, your team members will be expected to actively participate in communication.
This is the time you use to communicate urgent matters - such as: B. new or updated information about a launch, a promotion, a time-sensitive project milestone, and more.
Set aside just an hour or less for this communication. This way your team doesn't waste valuable productive hours checking in and still gets the message.
And if you don't have urgent matters, send a message that you don't have to contact them. This means your team has more time to work without you having to take a break to chat.
2. Create a hybrid communication policy
You may want to implement a hybrid policy where you tell your employees that you expect a response to your messages within 24 hours. This reduces the pressure to respond immediately when a message comes in, but ensures you receive a response in a timely manner.
3. Only send targeted messages to those who need them
Try to avoid using @channel mentions in communication tools like Slack. This can attract people who don't need to be made aware of the message, which reduces productivity and can lead to "too many cooks in the kitchen."
And when employees are inundated with messages that don't concern them, they pay less attention to notifications and may miss something important.
Instead, use the employee's name so that they can refer to the corresponding conversations when checking their messages.
4. Detailed messages reduce the need for synchronous communication
If you just reach out and say, "Hey, contact me when you have time." you can lose valuable time without achieving much.
With employees working in different time zones and an asynchronous communication model, it can take a full 24 hours to even receive a response. You will then have to explain your message and possibly wait another 24 hours for the issue to be addressed.
Another helpful tip to simplify communication is to always provide detailed messages to your team members.
This might mean including detailed project overviews, links to documents or other resources, or email threads in your request. Regardless of when your employees receive your message, they should have everything they need to get started.
Recording a video can also prove helpful as team members can refer back to it at any time if they have questions or need further support.
This is a great way to take advantage of asynchronous communication without wasting time on both sides.
5. Establish a communication protocol for emergencies
Even if you try to stay asynchronous and productive, problems will still arise. By creating an emergency communications protocol, you can let your employees know when urgent matters require immediate attention.
You can flag messages or use a specific code word to mark them as priority.
Or set up a Slack channel just for those urgent moments, such as: E.g. if a project has to be put on hold, a virus hits your system, deadlines are brought forward, reporting managers change, etc.
This gives team members the freedom to work without interruption and you the peace of mind of staying connected. However, do not abuse this emergency system and reserve it only for serious, high-level obstacles.
Take advantage of asynchronous communication today and watch your team's productivity increase
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Now that you know more about the differences between these communication styles and the pros and cons of each, you will be better equipped to optimize communication within your remote team.
Start with the five best practices we discussed and be clear about your expectations. Then ask your team members for their input.
You can customize your messaging preferences to take advantage of each communication style, better connecting with team members in different time zones, and increasing productivity at the same time.
